Amelia Bonny
"So, unless you two wanna end up awfully stabbed, you're gonna take out that sword there, and you're gonna throw it over by my friend in the coach. And then we're going to work on getting you out of that stuffy armor... How often DO soldiers like you two ride back home naked, anyway?" Amelia Bonny is one of the few female pirates to ever sail the seas of Maritanis, and arguably the most skilled. Brash, confident, and fearless, this swordfighting beauty has spent most of her life beating the piss and also shit out of anyone who had the gall to underestimate her. She's got a chip on her shoulder the size of a ship's deck, and she's not in the least bit shy about it. Currently however, she finds herself in the employ of the High Queen, as some sort of genuine champion... Life, as usual, has quite the sense of humor. Biography A Failed Lady Amelia was born to Archibald and Althea Bonny, a recently married (in secret) pair of lovers in the pirate haven of Sanctuary. For her first few years she lived in Sanctuary with her mother, only receiving occasional visits from her father, always complete with piles of gifts. Her father was a pirate Captain, after all - one of the best on the sea, and he would come to be her hero and idol even at a young age. She never took well to 'appropriate' pursuits for a girl, spending most of her time playing at 'pirate queen'. When she was five, her mother took ill, and died soon thereafter of a mysterious illness. Her father only discovered when he returned to them for a visit to find his daughter surviving on her own. For reasons he would never explain to anyone, not even his crew, he refused to put her into the care of anyone else, saying she would only be safe if she stayed with him - and so despite centuries of superstition, Amelia became a permanent fixture among the crew of the Legacy, her father's pirate ship. Pirate In Training Though he might have taken her in on the ship, Captain Bonny still meant to make a lady of his daughter. Unfortunately, in the battle of wills between father and daughter, though the father might have had the authority, Amelia was always finding new and exciting ways to push the rules. She would sneak out at night to climb the rigging and explore the ship, and dressed up like one of the cabin boys more than once to get into fights. Eventually, her father realized there was only so much he could do - if she was that determined, the only way he could get her to pay attention to the studies he wanted for her was to give her what she wanted, and so Amelia began practicing. She learned with half a dozen swordplay teachers, went about the ship in disguise more days than not, pretending to be another member of the crew, and quickly proved herself as good as any of them - and twice as determined. By the time she was old enough that hiding who she was became almost impossible, she'd been sailing as a member of the crew for years. The Lady Terror of the Seas While the crew of the Legacy had done a good job for years of hiding that they had a woman on their crew, it became difficult as Amelia grew older and began making a name for herself. Not only did she prove herself the equal or the better of every warrior she encountered, she was possessed of a quick and incredibly devious mind. More than once, the crew was able to crack a tough mark thanks to her quick thinking and collection of dirty tricks - particularly her acting ability, taking advantage of her looks to lure unsuspecting sailors into poor decisions, pretending she was being kept a hostage by the nasty pirates that were actually her crew. Of course, these affairs didn't always go exactly as planned - one time, she wound up trapped on her mark's ship as their captain, fleeing the Legacy, managed to run his ship aground on the shore of the Pride Lands. Amelia got luckier than they did - while the target crew wound up either drowning or hunted down by the lions, Amelia instead made the acquaintance of a rather more reasonable lioness by the name of Nala, who offered her an escort to safety. By the time she was twenty, she had developed a reputation that even the male pirates had to respect. As her father's health failed, she took over many of the Captain's duties, especially navigation and charting their path through dangerous territory, though even her crew would never let her even appear to be in charge of the ship. Still, she put up with the indignity, knowing that one day her time would come - she was destined to be the greatest pirate on the seas, destined to shove her gender down the throats of every bastard who had ever questioned whether or not she could be a worthwhile pirate. She was never above competing with other pirates and even the Sea Witch herself for treasure, and fought to prove herself at ever step. The Blighted Sea As the seas began to fall to the Blight, Amelia's crew was one of the few to manage to stay together and relatively unscathed for the first months. They had fought off monsters from the sea for years, these were only a little different, so long as they avoided being infected themselves - and they did lose more than one crewmate to the affliction. Amelia and her father decided quickly that any who were so blighted needed to be thrown overboard, for the good of the rest of the crew. They were making for the mainland, to find shelter until they could find safe passage, when the worst attack hit them. They were swarmed with what seemed like hundreds of monsters, twisted from the sea's creatures into things they could barely recognize. This time, Amelia's father was one of the first to die. Somehow, even though she can barely remember, she and the last of the crew were able to fight their way to shore. She took command with a will, fighting her own battles while she shouted orders to the others, even able to keep the ship on track until they made it to the shore. Whatever anyone had said, she proved herself a Captain... Just not enough for her crew. Not long after they had buried their dead and made repairs, the crew turned on Amelia. No matter what she'd done, they could not abide a woman as their Captain, and Amelia was too stunned to fight. The crew left her things and some provisions, and sailed off onto what would become the Blackwater, leaving the Pirate Lady alone, adrift on the land... and burning with anger. The seas have not seen the last of Amelia Bonny. She dreams to this day of her triumphant return to the ocean... whether it is as pirate and terror once more or something else remains to be seen. Marooned on the Mainland After the mutiny, Amelia found herself aimless, without a crew to direct or work with, she resorted to the only means she had to survive in the world; after all, one can still be a pirate without a ship, on the land they just call them thieves, and she had plenty of skills to put to use in the service of enriching her lowered station. While the mainland was still ravaged by Blight, she managed to scavenge and steal plenty to get herself by - and put herself on a few truly spectacular benders, one of which ended up with the drunken pirate stumbling into the midst of a burning village, and encountering a phoenix. During another, she encountered a Musketeer by the name of Aramis, and after a night of revels ended up spending the night for him - unfortunately the night ended up rather poorly for the hapless musketeer, who fell under some sort of curse that night, and woke up a woman. Amelia was, naturally, deeply amused, but took pity on the (man? woman?) and has taken it on herself to help her (him?) get on her (his?) feet. The real turning point for the pirate, however, came while she was raiding coaches in the forests south of Caerleon. It turned out that her crime spree had caught some royal attention - the High Queen, Gwenhwyfar Pendragon herself. The Queen sent two Knights to collect her and bring her back to Caerleon, but Amelia got the jump on them - knocking one to the ground and putting her sword to the other's throat, and forcing them at swordpoint to shed their armor and clothes before riding back to the castle. Amused, Gwen decided to track the pirate lady down herself, bringing Amber Jackson along as backup. The Queen decided to pull one of Amelia's favorite tricks, playing the airheaded noble princess, though eventually the charade broke down. When the dust settled, Amelia learned she wasn't being accosted for an arrest - she was being offered a job. The Unlikeliest "Knight" Of course, being an official somethingorother in the service of the High Queen, and living in quarters at Caerleon itself was a rather novel situation for the pirate. She remains an uncomfortable 'champion', but finds the situation more than satisfactory for encountering a fresh pile of menfolk with delusions about their skill with a sword who she can teach just how outclassed they could be by a woman. She found a kindred spirit in "Jack", and the two quickly found a great deal of themselves in one another, striking up a friendship - even after the younger warrior taunted her a time or two with her shapeshifting abilities. Since then, she has been gradually adjusting to her new role - occasionally even interrupting a few crimes in progress, mostly to see what it's like to be on the other side. Plus, it keeps her busy. Personality Amelia may have the looks of a lady, but she is every inch a sailor and a pirate, and unless she means to deceive, she makes no bones about that fact whatsoever. She's quick to respond to any challenge (the chip on her shoulder is legendary in some circles), but she's equally quick with a joke or a prank, and it is her sense of humor that serves to leaven what could otherwise be a harsh and competitive personality. Which is not of course to say that she is anything less than hyper-competitive - a lifetime of having to prove herself, particularly to men, has given her a deep seated drive to always be better, smarter, and faster. It can be an exhausting drive, but one that has paid off in her life, taking her from a girl child forbidden even to hold a sword to one of the most dangerous pirates on the seas - or on the land, for that matter. Though she is an unrepentant criminal, Amelia has never been a terribly cruel person, unless suitably provoked. To her, piracy is a profession, albeit one frowned on by the majority of the world, and she takes great pride in being outstanding at it, even the bits that involve theft and the occasional murder. That being said, while she takes great joy in battle, she is not the sort to kill a man unless he's armed and fighting back - as she would say, it's always better to make sure they know they'll live if they give you their gold, lest they fight like the cornered to keep life and treasure both. She has a deep sense of loyalty to her crew, believing in her father's lesson that even a pirate has a duty to those beneath them. So, while she is not exactly an honest person, if she takes someone as crew (or as a partner in an endeavor) it would not be like her to betray them, at least not without fair warning. For her few friends, she is fiercely loyal - even a pirate sometimes feels like taking on family, after all. Even if her only family proved to be a traitorous bastard, she always sought to be not just her father's equal, but his better. Skills pending Ongoing Threads What's Yours is Mine (Past, 5 years) - On a solo mission to rob the shit out of an old shipping magnate, Amelia runs into a rival pirate crew looking to rob the same loot. Hijinks, naturally, ensue. The Caravan Job - Amelia finds herself embroiled in a battle against the Starving when she attempts to relieve a wealthy man of his possessions while en route between cities, not long after her stranding on the mainland. She runs into an assassin in the midst of it, and the two are forced to fight together. Well... That Happened - Amelia's young friend Jack gets herself into some serious trouble, but on a lighter note, Amelia is reunited with Nala Pretty Little Things - Amelia can't help peeking in when she sees a fight brewing between a lovely but somewhat out of place lady and an even more out of place ranger. It Can Always Get Worse - Fighting Mandry in the forest, Amelia encounters someone even scarier than she is... not something that happens terribly often. But there may well be an opportunity at hand... You Don't Meet a Girl Like That Every Dynasty - Amelia gets herself involved in one of her regular barfights when she sees a young lady holding her own against multiple assailants and decides to lend a hand. Special guest appearance by Nala! On Our Best Behavior - Amelia and Gwen go out scouting. Things go... well the way you'd expect. The Best Offense - Caerleon is under attack... To arms, ladies! Category:Characters Category:Original Characters Category:Maritani